Una zila parishad goes to BJPCourtesy cross-vote by two Cong men
Una, January 24
The BJP has managed to win the post of president and vice-president in the Una zila parishad today with the help of two Congress members who cross voted in their favour.

PM’s statement unfortunate: BJP
Shimla, January 24
State BJP chief Khimi Ram Sharma today said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement of keeping Republic Day away from politics once again reflected the policy of minority appeasement by the Congress.

HAPPY NEW YEAR: Tibetan monks welcome the Tibetan New Year at a monastery in Shimla on Monday. Photo: Amit Kanwar

Soldiers march during a rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in Shimla on Monday.
Photo: Amit Kanwar

Edible oil shortage in PDS shops
Hamirpur, January 24
The state has not been getting the supply of edible oil to be distributed under the public distribution system (PDS) for about two months now.
Many families have not received the monthly supply of refined oil from PDS shops since last month while many of them have even failed to get the supply of mustard oil.

Class X girl stabbed to death
Shimla, January 24
The police today arrested a 17-year-old boy, Saurabh of Kumarsain school, for stabbing to death a class X
girl student after she turned down his offer for friendship.

Wood Smuggling
Police urges Army to be more vigilant
Shimla, January 24
The Himachal Police has urged the Army to be more vigilant and step up security along the Chinese border in Kinnuar and Lahaul Spiti to check cross-border smuggling.

Research institute faces water shortage
Solan, January 24
With the Kasauli-based Central Research Institute (CRI) failing to get adequate water supply, it has been forced to use tankers to fulfil its requirement.
Since the water shortage was almost 50 per cent and the Cantonment Board, the lone source, was unable to meet the total requirement the institute authorities had a little option than to procure water through tankers.

Conversion of trees into timber
Delay costs Forest
Corporation dear
Hamirpur, January 24
The delay by officials of the Forest Corporation,
Hamirpur, to get 29 lots of trees converted into timber has led to deterioration in its quality, causing losses to the corporation, besides paying damages to the state government.

Awareness camp for nomadic shepherds
Nurpur, January 24
The state Wool Federation here today launched a special awareness campaign to educate nomadic shepherds about the recently implemented Shepherd Samridhi Yojna
(SSY). Under the campaign, a training camp for shepherds was organised under the National Agriculture Development Scheme in which as many as 600 shepherds from Kangra and Chamba districts participated. They were also given free medical kits for treating their sheep.

Ropeway for Manimahesh proposed
Chamba, January 24
Here is a good news for pilgrims who aspire to reach with comfort at the famous Manimahesh shrine to pay their obeisance when their luggage will be transported through the proposed ropeway. The district administration has proposed a project for setting up a ropeway link to the sacred Manimahesh Lake atop.

Power plays truant in Palampur
Palampur, January 24
Frequent power failures in the town, particularly in the rural areas of Ghuggar, Aima, Bundla, Lohana, Choki Khalet, of Palampur division of the HP Power Supply Company (HPPSC) have become a regular feature.

Graft Case
Runaway cop held
Shimla, January 24
The police has nabbed Mal Dutt Sharma, an inspector in the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, who has escaped from its custody two days ago, from the US
Club area, here yesterday.

Tuberculosis Sanatorium awaits nod for lab
Solan, January 24
The state government is in the process of strengthening the Tuberculosis Sanatorium with a Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) lab awaiting recognition from the Central Government.

Beautification of Chamba top priority: MC chief
Chamba, January 24
The beautification of Chamba town would be a tremendous task to be accorded top priority by the newly-elected local municipal council so as to give a new facelift to the town by conserving its greenery and scenery for tourists visiting the hill town, said Anita Thakur after assuming the charge as the president of the newly-elected Chamba MC.

BJP wins Sundernagar samiti poll
Sundernagar, January 24
The BJP won both seats of chairman and vice-chairman of Sundernagar panchayat samiti in the election held here today in the office of Sundernagar BDO.

Release DA on R-Day: Staff
Bilaspur, January 24
The Himachal Pradesh State Non-Gazetted Employees Federation has urged Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to come to the help of the class three and four employees of the state by releasing the already due dearness allowance installment on Republic Day.

Greetings on Statehood Day
Shimla, January 24
Governor Urmila Singh and Chief Minister PK Dhumal felicitated the people of the state on the eve of 41st Statehood Day tomorrow.

Dharamsala, January 24
The Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal, went on a stone-laying spree in Dharamsala today. He laid foundation stones of infrastructural developmental projects worth Rs 17.16 crore in and around Dharamsala.

The projects include Kala Kendra on Police Ground, to be set up at a cost Rs 65 lakh, a multi-storey building of the Government College for Teacher’s Education worth Rs 4.14 crore, science block in the Government College for Teacher’s Education worth Rs. 1.14 crore, a nine-room block for Government Senior Secondary School, Dari, worth Rs 1.23 crore, Sainik Kalyan Bhawan worth Rs 2 crore and a 400-metre synthetic athletics track at Dharamsala.

Addressing a public meeting at Dari, the Chief Minister said the government would organise a competition based on different parameters to adjudge the best district of the state.

He said the state had succeeded in getting three Indian Reserve Battalions (IRBs) sanctioned out of which one is women battalion, which is based at Naina Devi in Bilaspur district. The other two battalions are being established at Kolar in Sirmour district, and Nurpur in Kangra district.

He said a BSF battalion would also be established at
Shahpur. The land for the project had been transferred to the Central Government.

Dhumal said Himachal students would be get 20 per cent reservation in National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) at Kangra.

He said the state government was making concerted efforts to open vocational and technical institutions in every assembly segment in a phased manner. Equitable distribution of educational infrastructure facilities was being ensured for the benefit of the common man, Dhumal said.

He said soon the state government would launch an organic fertiliser scheme with the help of Rs 442 crore loan from the Japanese government. Rs 71 crore would be spent on development of tourism to create quality infrastructure for the visitors of the district. He said parking and shopping complex were being created at Chamunda and Kangra town.

District Kangra had a vast potential for exploitation of tourism which would be covered under the proposed scheme so that the economy of the area could be strengthened.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also listened to public grievances at the Circuit House. He announced Rs 5,000 for the promotion of cultural activities for Dari school students.

Kishan Kapoor, Industries Minister, welcomed the Chief Minister to his home segment and thanked him for laying foundation stones of various development worked in his constituency. Ravinder Ravi, IPH Minister, Sarveen Chaudhary, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Vijay Singh Mankotia, former minister, Lt-Gen A.K. Chaudhary, GOC-in-C, 9 Corps, were among others present on the occasion.

Una, January 24
The BJP has managed to win the post of president and vice-president in the Una zila parishad today with the help of two Congress members who cross voted in their favour.

A piquant situation was created in the Una zila parishad with both the Congress and the BJP winning eight members. The entire balance of power was in the hands of Avtar Singh, a Youth Congress worker, who contested against the wishes of senior leaders of the party.

The elections were initially planned for January 18. However, due to lack of quorum the elections could be held and were rescheduled for today. During this period hectic efforts were made to poach members.

Today the Congress leaders made a desperate bid to keep its flock together. A woman zila parishad member whom they suspected would cross over to the BJP was offered the post of president by the Congress leaders. Sources, however, said she refused the offer.

In the elections today, Rani Devi Ranoth, the BJP candidate for the post of president, got 10 votes while the Congress candidate got seven votes. For the post vice-president, the BJP voted for Avtar Singh, a Youth Congress leader, who switched over to their side. He, however, got nine votes against the official nominee of the Congress who got eight votes.

The Congress leaders alleged that the a few officers of the IPH Department posted in the district played a vital role in poaching the party candidates. They alleged that the ruling party used both power and pelf to grab the Una zila parishad in which otherwise the Congress-supported candidates were in majority.

Meanwhile, the sources said the BJP won the Gagret Block Development Committee (BDC) while the Congress managed to win the Amb
BDC.

Shimla, January 24
State BJP chief Khimi Ram Sharma today said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement of keeping Republic Day away from politics once again reflected the policy of minority appeasement by the Congress.

He said today that rather than ordering J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to allow BJP workers to unfurl the flag at Lal Chowk, he had urged that Republic Day should not be politicised in any way. “When we do not even enjoy the freedom to hoist our National Flag anywhere in the country on Republic Day, it is but natural for the separatist forces to feel emboldened and step up their anti-national activities,” he said.

He said it was unfortunate that even the PM was advising the BJP not to go ahead with the Ekta Yatra.

“The kind of rousing welcome that has been accorded to the Ekta Yatra in Himachal only reiterates the BJP’s resolve to march ahead and unfurl the Tricolour in Srinagar,” he said.

Party’s agenda divisive: Cong

HAMIRPUR: State spokesman of the Congress Deepak Sharma has condemned the BJP ‘for pursuing a divisive agenda’ through its Bharat Ekta rally under the garb of hoisting the Tricolour at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Republic Day.

Addressing a press conference here today, Sharma said, “The BJP has been pursuing a communal and divisive agenda for long and has now selected its youth wing to pursue this agenda.”

Sharma also criticised Chief Minister PK Dhumal for asking people living along the Beas to build hotels within the periphery of 25 metre.

“Not learning from the past experiences of havoc caused by floods on the banks of the Beas, the CM is asking people to repeat the mistake of carrying construction near the banks of the river despite high court setting a limit of 500 m for such construction ” he added.

Hamirpur, January 24
The state has not been getting the supply of edible oil to be distributed under the public distribution system (PDS) for about two months now.
Many families have not received the monthly supply of refined oil from PDS shops since last month while many of them have even failed to get the supply of mustard oil.

The state government is supplying subsidised ration, including pulses, mustard and edible oil, on ration cards every month to each family through PDS shops.

The subsidised items through PDS shops are being supplied to each family for compensating them for a sharp increase in the prices of essential commodities for the past some time.

While the state government has fixed a limit for giving subsidised ration for each family, a small family is being given one kg of edible oil and large families are getting one kg of mustard oil in addition to the edible oil.

A local consumer Purshotam Singh said, “Since we are not getting edible and mustard oil from the PDS shops, we have been forced to buy these from the open market by shelling out more money.”

After verification from other parts of the state, it has been found that the situation in other parts of the state are also not good and consumers have not received the edible oil since December.

Officers of the state Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department admitted that edible oil had been in short supply since last month.

Director of the department C Paulrasu said, “There is some problem in the import of edible oil and the state is not getting its supply that is why consumers are not getting the same through PDS shops. However, from this month we are supplying two packs of mustard oil to consumers to compensate for the edible oil.”

Shimla, January 24
The police today arrested a 17-year-old boy, Saurabh of Kumarsain school, for stabbing to death a class X
girl student after she turned down his offer for friendship.

After stabbing the girl at her house in Lathi village last evening, the boy ran to the house of his maternal grandparents to evade arrest. He took this step as the girl, who was one year junior to him in
Kumarsain School, had turned down his offer for friendship.

The police managed to arrest the accused and a case under Sections 302, 452 and 342 has been registered against him.

The police has also arrested some other persons who tried to give shelter to
the accused.

According to the police, the boy had been pestering the girl for the past sometime but she declined his offer. Infuriated by rejection, he reached her home after school and stabbed her.

It said Saurabh, who hails from Shaila village, was also involved in several scuffles in the school and was in the habit of bullying others.

While the mother of the deceased, Mamta Devi, was at home at the time of the incident, but since Saurabh locked the door from inside while committing the crime she failed to help her daughter. By the time the girl was taken to a hospital she succumbed to her injuries.

Police urges Army to be more vigilant
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 24
The Himachal Police has urged the Army to be more vigilant and step up security along the Chinese border in Kinnuar and Lahaul Spiti to check cross-border smuggling.

With incidents like smuggling of red sander wood taking place from the Lepcha sector in Lahaul Spiti into China through Tibet, the police has stressed the need for more stringent checking even on the part of the Army so that there can be an additional check. Even though it is the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) which is mainly responsible for guarding the international boundary with China, the state police is of the opinion that checking by the Army could serve as an additional precaution.

The police took up the matter with the Army at a routine meeting that was held in Chandimandir last week. It was pointed out that since the sander wood reached Samdoh in Kinnuar after traversing thousands of kms right from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh without being checked, some additional steps are needed.

“We have urged the Army to ask its personnel on the border areas to undertake checking of the civil vehicles even if these have the permits and are carrying supplies for the ITBP to eliminate any chances of smuggling,” said DS Manhas, Director-General of Police. He added though the Army did not feel the need to check the vehicles as these had valid permits issued by the ITBP, this left a scope for manipulation and if there were two agencies, they could keep a cross-check on each other.

The police is learnt to have highlighted the fact that in the smuggling of red sander wood in August last year, there was clear involvement of ITPB officials so the Army should at random check the vehicles and the supplies even if they have permits as was the case when wood was smuggled.

Sources said what had left the police baffled was the fact that nobody checked the wood while it was smuggled from the South and reached the border after crossing through several states, including Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. A similar case of smuggling of red sander wood also came to light in Leh, thereby necessitating the need for stricter checking and security system.

Solan, January 24
With the Kasauli-based Central Research Institute (CRI) failing to get adequate water supply, it has been forced to use tankers to fulfil its requirement.
Since the water shortage was almost 50 per cent and the Cantonment Board, the lone source, was unable to meet the total requirement the institute authorities had a little option than to procure water through tankers.

As against the total requirement of 70,000 litres per day the board supplied barely 35,000 litres and this created a huge gap of 50 per cent. Since water was used in all manufacturing processes its shortage had to be offset by making alternative arrangements.

Though the institute had been pleading the authorities to supply more water, the demand failed to be met as the board itself had a vast area to feed. Neither had the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department made available a water connection nor had the board enhanced their supply in the past several years despite the issue being pursued regularly. Being a cantonment area, the IPH officials had refused a connection as they did not supply water in the town.

The scientists, however, rued that being a vaccine-manufacturing institute priority should be accorded to supplying sufficient water to it. Since the quality of water supplied through tankers could not be relied upon it puts an additional burden on the institute scientists to first test its quality and then treat it before using it for vaccine production. Though vaccine production was a sensitive process and required consistent water quality, the lack of water supply forced the scientists to use tanker water which was generally filled from the natural sources.

CRI director Dr Brahmni, who has recently taken up the charge of the institute, said, “Some hope has been lit with Deputy Commissioner AS Rathode according permission to issue two connections from the IPH Department after the issue was taken up with him recently.”

He added that this would give some respite to the institute. The issue would also be taken up with the cantonment authorities on a fresh basis. Apart from this, the institute was undertaking water harvesting within their campus so that some of their needs could be met.

The institute which manufactures various vaccines like Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, DPT, DT, TT vaccines and serums like anti-venom, anti-rabies, etc, was a premier national institute. Its manufacturing licence had been revoked a year back after being suspended in 2008 for its failure to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices norms of the World Health
Organisation.

Hamirpur, January 24
The delay by officials of the Forest Corporation,
Hamirpur, to get 29 lots of trees converted into timber has led to deterioration in its quality, causing losses to the corporation, besides paying damages to the state government.

Divisional Manager (DM) of the Hamirpur office of the corporation said the corporation was allotted 60 lots of 12,000 dry and fallen trees of different species lying in the forest in September 2009 for their conversion into timber within one year.

The work of conversion was to be completed between September 15, 2009, and September 30, 2010, for which the corporation had engaged contractors. However, trees from nearly 31 lots was converted into timber during this period and remaining 29 lots are still lying unconverted in the forest.

According to an estimate, over 4,000 trees are still lying in the forest causing financial loss to the corporation.

While this has led to deterioration in quality of the timber, which was to be extracted from these trees, it is also costing the corporation monetarily as it would have to pay damages to the state government for not carrying the work within the stipulated period.

Instead of being strict for this delay, the corporation and the Forest Department have reduced the duty charged from contractors.

According to information, the Hamirpur DM office has sought from the state government more time to complete the work by paying the damage
charges.

Pradeep Thakur, DM, Forest Corporation, Hamirpur, said: “The delay in conversion of timber occurred due to the unavailability of labour and we have sought extension from the government for conversion of timber of the remaining lots.”

“Though the delay would definitely affect the quality of timber, however, short extension are a routine affair,” he added.

Nurpur, January 24
The state Wool Federation here today launched a special awareness campaign to educate nomadic shepherds about the recently implemented Shepherd Samridhi Yojna
(SSY). Under the campaign, a training camp for shepherds was organised under the National Agriculture Development Scheme in which as many as 600 shepherds from Kangra and Chamba districts participated. They were also given free medical kits for treating their sheep.

Presiding over the camp, Trilok Kapoor, chairman of the federation, said the state government during the past three years had initiated concerted efforts to revive the confidence of shepherds in sheep-rearing avocation and launched the SSY to uplift shepherds economically and make them self-reliant. He said 20,000 shepherds had got registered with the federation.

While talking about organising training camps for them, he said the state had been divided into seven zones.

“The main objective to hold these camps is to educate shepherds about schemes launched by the state government during the past three years. Apart from this, problems of shepherds will be heard on their doorstep,” he asserted.

Local MLA Rakesh Pathania exhorted shepherds to avail the benefits of the SSY. Dr Munshi Ram from the Animal Husbandry Department briefed them about the main ailments of sheep and their remedies in the Gaddi dialect.

Chamba, January 24
Here is a good news for pilgrims who aspire to reach with comfort at the famous Manimahesh shrine to pay their obeisance when their luggage will be transported through the proposed ropeway. The district administration has proposed a project for setting up a ropeway link to the sacred Manimahesh Lake atop.

Disclosing this here today, Deputy Commissioner of Chamba Devesh Kumar revealed that to provide facility for Lord Shiva’s devotees, a ropeway project had been proposed.

“The divisional manager of the Himachal Pradesh State Forest Corporation has been assigned the task of preparing a preliminary project report about”, DC said, adding that he would also identify the spots where it would be feasible to erect ropeway pillars and poles. The DM of the forest corporation would also prepare the estimates about the notional cost to be incurred on the project, DC further said.

The DC hoped that soon after the approval of the project, the construction work would be undertaken.

The Manimahesh Lake is situated at an altitude of 4,170 metres in the mountainous hilly region of Bharmour in Chamba district.

Palampur, January 24
Frequent power failures in the town, particularly in the rural areas of Ghuggar, Aima, Bundla, Lohana, Choki Khalet, of Palampur division of the HP Power Supply Company (HPPSC) have become a regular feature.

Unannounced shutdowns for hours have not only affected the industrial units but also made residents of the upper and lower areas of Palampur a hapless lot. The complaints in this regard remained unattended during the shutdowns. The complaint office at Bundla and Ghuggar advised the complainant to contact the Maranda complaint office.

The executive engineer, HPPSC, Palampur, said power supply was suspended for want of repairs from the Dehan sub-station. He said since the HPSEB had stopped new recruitment, therefore, there was a shortage of staff.

He admitted that in the absence of manpower it takes many days to carry out the repairs, therefore, there was frequent shutdown in the rural areas of Palampur.
— OC

Shimla, January 24
The police has nabbed Mal Dutt Sharma, an inspector in the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, who has escaped from its custody two days ago, from the US
Club area, here yesterday.

He was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 13,000 from Vinod Kumar of Rajgarh to hush up a vigilance inquiry. However, he escaped from the custody of the investigating team and came to Shimla. He was again arrested by the team which was on look out
for him ever since he gave it a slip at his residence in Nahan.

Sharma had allegedly demanded the money to settle the case by giving a favourable report in the matter pertaining to admission sought in BEd by Vinod’s wife on the basis of a Scheduled Caste certificate. He was asked to deposit the money online. Vinod got in touch with senior officers of the vigilance bureau which swung into action after the money was transferred into the account of the inspector.

Solan, January 24
The state government is in the process of strengthening the Tuberculosis Sanatorium with a Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) lab awaiting recognition from the Central Government.

With training of staff being already completed, the authorities are now awaiting an official nod to make it functional. Free medicines are being disbursed to the MDR tuberculosis cases. Apart from this, a sputum lab is under construction and once completed this will save time in sending sputum samples to Jaipur or Delhi for analysis, clarified Rakesh Kanwar, director, National Rural Health Mission.

Refuting the allegation that a part of the sanatorium was being allotted to a private firm, GVK EMRI, for operating the ambulance services launched under the Atal Sawasthya Sewa, he said an Emergency Response Centre would be constructed there without diversion of any land. Since the campus was spread over 54 bighas there was sufficient land for constructing this centre, even though some private people had encroached upon the government land.

He added that all assets would continue to remain the property of the state government as this scheme was being funded by them while the firm was merely providing services as they were experienced in it.

Chamba, January 24
The beautification of Chamba town would be a tremendous task to be accorded top priority by the newly-elected local municipal council so as to give a new facelift to the town by conserving its greenery and scenery for tourists visiting the hill town, said Anita Thakur after assuming the charge as the president of the newly-elected Chamba MC.

Speaking about the priorities, she said considering the huge crowd of vehicles, the municipal council would explore the possibilities of providing parking lots for local residents and tourists in the hill town of Chamba, which has emerged as a major tourist destination in the state.

Thakur said efforts would be made to bail out the MC from the desperate financial straits by drawing mini schemes for the development and beautification of the town and accordingly these schemes would be submitted to the government for getting funds, she
asserted.

Sundernagar, January 24
The BJP won both seats of chairman and vice-chairman of Sundernagar panchayat samiti in the election held here today in the office of Sundernagar BDO.

In the House of 27, the BJP was having the upper edge. Today all the members were present in the meeting and took part in the elections.

For the post of chairman, 16 votes were polled in favour of BJP-supported candidate Nisha (Chambi ward), who defeated Congress candidate Minakashi (Khilra ward) by a margin of six votes.

BJP candidate Vijay Kumar (Slapper) won the election of the vice-chairman who was polled 17 votes. He defeated Congress candidate Parkash (Ghiri ward) who was polled 10 votes. Afterwards the winners were received by district president of the BJP Dile Ram (Nachan MLA) and Roop Singh Thakur (Sundernagar MLA). Both leaders congratulated BJP workers on the occasion.

Bilaspur, January 24
The Himachal Pradesh State Non-Gazetted Employees Federation has urged Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to come to the help of the class three and four employees of the state by releasing the already due dearness allowance installment on Republic Day.

A meeting of office-bearers of the federation, presided over by state president Ram Singh and attended by more than 24 leaders drawn from all parts of the state here last evening, adopted a unanimous resolution criticising the Central Government for failing to control the ever rising prices of commodities and also for refusing to give due financial rights of the state due to known political bias. The meeting warned that the Centre should not test the patience of the state.